Del Mar Racecourse will host the 13th edition of the Del Mar Bing Crosby Season with a 13-day racing programme throughout November, bringing together competitive turf contests, major stakes races and returning performers. The autumn meeting will feature racing every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with Thanksgiving racing also scheduled this year.
The fall season will offer a different atmosphere from Del Mar’s traditional summer meeting. With fewer horses based at the track, the programme will attract several visiting trainers and their runners from other racing centres. Racing Secretary David Jerkens will look to build strong momentum from the opening day, with favourable weather and support from horsemen expected to play important roles.
The meeting, which began in 2014 following the closure of Hollywood Park, will continue to develop its position as an important fixture on the American racing calendar. Del Mar will also benefit from its turf programme, as several major East Coast tracks will reduce their grass racing schedules during the colder months.
Jerkens will expect a strong contribution from visiting trainers during the meeting. Jonathan Thomas will arrive with 25 horses, while other out-of-town operations will also be expected to support the final week. The local contingent will provide further competition in selected stakes races.
Del Mar Bing Crosby Season to Feature Major Stakes Races
The 2026 meeting will include 13 racing days throughout November. First post will be scheduled for 12:30 p.m. on regular racing days, while Thanksgiving racing will return on Thursday, November 26, with an earlier start at 11 a.m.
The Hollywood connection will remain an important part of the autumn programme. Del Mar will continue its tradition of naming races after popular Hollywood personalities, including the Betty Grable Stakes, Desi Arnaz Stakes, Bob Hope Stakes, Cecil B. DeMille Stakes and Jimmy Durante Stakes.
The opening-day programme will feature the Let It Ride Stakes, while the closing weekend will include several established contests, such as the Hollywood Turf Cup, Hollywood Derby and Matriarch Stakes.
Lovesick Blues to Head The Chosen Vron Stakes Field
Saturday’s nine-race programme will feature the second running of The Chosen Vron Stakes, a seven-furlong contest on the main track for California-bred horses aged three and above. Nine runners will contest the race, which will mark the return of 2025 Grade 1 Bing Crosby winner Lovesick Blues after an absence of more than seven months.
Trainer Librado Barocio will bring the eight-year-old gelding back following his overseas campaign in Saudi Arabia and Dubai. The trainer will have allowed him time to recover before preparing him for another season. Juan Hernandez will take the ride.
Lovesick Blues will face strong opposition from Man O Rose and Big City Lights. Man O Rose will arrive following his victory in the E. B. Johnston Stakes at Los Alamitos in September. The six-year-old will look to maintain his winning form against California-bred runners.
Big City Lights, trained by Richard Mandella, will return to dirt after his latest appearance on turf. The seven-year-old will have Kazushi Kimura aboard and will look to perform on his preferred surface.
The remaining entries will include Shady Tiger, Matt At Five, Pure Madness, Special Club, Lonesome Stew and Mr. Disrespectful. The Chosen Vron Stakes will be scheduled as the eighth race on Saturday’s card, with a projected post time of 4 p.m.
The contest will also honour The Chosen Vron, the California-bred gelding after whom the race was renamed following his retirement in 2025. He will be remembered for his outstanding record, including a period in which he won 14 of 15 races and recorded four victories at Del Mar.
Del Mar to Remember Hall of Fame Jockey Donald Pierce
The meeting will also provide an opportunity to remember Hall of Fame jockey Donald Pierce, who passed away last month at the age of 89.
Pierce will be remembered for a 31-year riding career in which he recorded 3,546 victories, including 54 stakes wins at Del Mar. His achievements will include four victories in the Del Mar Debutante and three wins each in the Del Mar Derby and Del Mar Oaks. He will also be remembered for securing the Del Mar riding title in 1966.
His association with the racecourse will remain an important part of its history. His Hall of Fame plaque and George Woolf Trophy will be displayed at Del Mar’s Stretch Run facility.
Weekend Handicapping Seminars to Return at Del Mar
Del Mar will also organise free weekend handicapping seminars every Saturday and Sunday throughout the meeting. The sessions will take place on the Kona Stage in the Plaza de Mexico, beginning at noon ahead of the 12:30 p.m. first post.
The 20-to-25-minute sessions will provide insights into the day’s racing programme. Dan Smith will host the Saturday seminars, with Ellis Davis joining him as the guest. Sunday’s sessions will be led by Frank Scatoni, who will be joined by tournament player Evan Topol.
Training activity will also continue at the racecourse, with horses from the Peter Miller, Jonathan Thomas and Richard Mandella stables among those scheduled to record workouts on the main track.
The 13th Del Mar Bing Crosby Season will bring 13 days of November racing, featuring major stakes contests, visiting trainers, the return of Lovesick Blues and a programme of weekend activities for racing fans.
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